


Death Doesn't Discriminate

by Youngblood_the_Killjoy



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Giants, M/M, Magical Realism, Murder, Non-Graphic Violence, Police Brutality, Protests, i think that's everyone - Freeform, it's all in the rationale, lotta angst, there's a deeper meaning buddy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 18:20:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9197714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Youngblood_the_Killjoy/pseuds/Youngblood_the_Killjoy
Summary: Alex just wanted to take a stroll in the park.





	

**Author's Note:**

> yo  
> sorry i've been so MIA on here forever  
> but i'm back  
> sort of  
> with a fic  
> sort of  
> it was an english assignment  
> that basically turned into a fic  
> so i decided to make it one  
> enjoy

It was a crisp October evening in New York City. Alex was walking to the park by his apartment building for his weekly weekend stroll. He took this walk to clear his mind of the words swirling around in his head that he had yet to write. Bespectacled and bundled up in his black coat and red plaid scarf with his hands stuffed into his pockets, he set a brisk pace in an attempt to defeat the cold air as the temperature approached 40 degrees. He scolded himself for not going earlier when it was warmer. As he approached the park, he stopped in his tracks at a troubling scene. He saw the trees were all crushed, the concrete on the path nearby was deeply dented, and he could make out some screw anchors where benches used to be. He could even see a rusty brown splattering, which were the unmistakable remains of a crushed human. But beyond all the obvious disturbances, he noticed something even more harrowing: the police were nowhere to be found. Not even a single piece of yellow tape was anywhere to be seen. It was obvious that this was a giant’s doing, but there was no one present doing any investigation as to who had done it. Outraged, he decided to take matters into his own hand and set a course for the nearest police precinct.

********

“Oh, yes, we know,” the head police chief, Samuel Seabury, greeted Alex upon hearing his report of the incident, irritatingly nonchalant.

“Well, then why is there no one down at the park investigating this crime?” Alex shot back.

“We already have. We know which giant did it, actually. George Eacker. He doesn’t seem to have a criminal history though. He’s a nice kid, and his family doesn’t want him to be too heavily affected by jail. So, the judge let him free with a year of probation.”

“A kid? He’s twenty-three years old! I’m willing to bet the person he crushed was younger! He should have a charge of vandalism, murder, and civil disobedience against him, at least. He should be in jail for the rest of his life!”

“Sir, we understand your concern, but please, leave this matter to us.” Red-faced and infuriated, he stalked out of the station.

********

As he stomped into his apartment, he slammed the door, startling his boyfriend, John, who was settled in his flannel pajamas with his wild curly hair neatly kept back in a ponytail, leafing through a Rolling Stone magazine. John was actually the one made him take those walks in the first place because there was a small incident where Alex had spent a week awake and writing word upon word, like he was running out of time. Being sleep-deprived and simultaneously full of words yet completely drained of them, he snapped a lot at John. Since then, John kicked him out of the apartment to go clear his head each weekend for a walk in the very park they had met, which had effectively increased the amount of time Alex was willing to spend outside.  
Yet, he was concerned when Alex had returned in such a short time. He looked up at his disgruntled beloved in concern, silently asking what was wrong. When Alex didn’t even spare a glance at him, he decided to voice his concern.

“Hey, honey,” John greeted Alex. “What’s wrong?”

“Society,” Alex muttered angrily. He threw his coat off and stomped over to slump on their couch adjacent to the chair that John had occupied. With a sigh, John set down his magazine and positioned himself to Alex’s side, opening his arms to engulf his cross boyfriend. Alex routinely buried himself in John’s arms, circling his own around John’s waist and placing his head on John’s shoulder.

“Care to elaborate?” John prompted.

Alex released an angry sigh. “I was going to go for my walk in the park, but...it was crushed by a giant. And I saw this splatter that was clearly the remains of a human that this stupid giant had stepped on. And what made it even worse was that there wasn’t a single police officer there when I had arrived. I hadn’t even seen a shred of yellow tape anywhere near it. It looked like all they had done was take the body. They probably hauled it off somewhere where it wouldn’t be seen like some dumpster, as if that person were trash, as if--”

“Alex. Breathe,” John reminded him as he gently ran his fingers through his hair. Alex took a deep breath in through his nose and let loose a ragged breath through his mouth. He repeated the action a number of times before he continued.

“So, naturally, I took it upon myself to report it to the authorities, since it seemed as if no one else had. And when I got there, I found out that they not only knew what had happened but they also knew who had done it! And they had let him go!”

“They what?” John asked in shock, as he understood Alex’s unbridled rage.

“They let him go free with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. One year of probation! For murder, vandalism, and civil disobedience. He should be in jail for the rest of his life, but, no, his family didn’t want it to have a ‘severe effect’ on him.”

“That’s the whole point of jail!”

“Exactly! So now we have a giant criminal on our streets, walking free while the remains of his victim are still lying there on the very concrete he murdered them on.”

“Wow. This has been quite the hour for you, huh?”

“John, we need to do something about this. We can’t just let this slide. We have to organize a protest. I can’t just sit here and watch this happen in silence. We can’t let this small population of giants get away with major crimes, while there are humans getting shot on sight simply for existing.”

“You’re right, Alex. We can and will do something about this. But first, maybe you should get some rest. It’s clearly been a long day for you.” Alex nodded and, as  
if on cue, yawned. They rose up from the couch and retired to bed.

********

The very next day, they got to work. They recruited a team of their closest friends--Aaron, Maria, Herc, Elizabeth, Margaret, Lafayette, Angelica, and George--and put up petitions and sign-ups for a protest against the institutionalized prejudice that kept George Eacker out of jail. Everyone met outside the very park where it happened, ready with signs and their own voices. There were a broad range of people attending: humans, giants, friends, strangers, even Alex’s enemy Thomas. When Alex saw him, he raised a questioning eyebrow, only for Thomas to shrug and respond, “Hey, you may be my least favourite person to ever exist, but even though I’d rather slam my tongue in a car door than admit to agreeing with you, I still support the equal treatment of humans and giants.”

“I’m glad you’re here, Tom,” was all that Alex had to say in response. Thomas muttered a passing “yeah, whatever,” before getting into position in the crowd. Alex took a deep breath as he clenched his megaphone in his hand, ready to lead. John came up to him and curled his arm around his hip.

“Ready?” he inquired. Alex looked at him and nodded. John smiled and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. “I’m so proud of you.” Alex returned his smile and set his hand on John’s freckled cheek, giving him another loving peck before getting up on the mini-platform that had been set up.

“Today, we are gathered here to avenge the soul of Philip Peterson, the boy who died at the hand of a giant at only 17,” his voice echoed among the masses. “Though I did not know him personally, I know he did not deserve this. He simply wanted to enjoy the day with a simple walk in the park. But an uncaring giant came and stomped him out. That giant goes by the name of George Eacker. He carelessly stomped on Philip and proceeded to pick him off of the bottom of his shoe like some sort of bug. And yet, this heinous act has no justified end. He continues to roam these streets a free giant with a man’s blood on his hands. This is unacceptable. We will not stand for this. We are small, but we are strong. We stand together, humans and giants alike, today for justice. And we will not _rest_ until the day that George Eacker is in jail. We are small, but we are strong!” He finished his speech on a powerful chant that everyone repeated through the cheers and applause as he stepped off the platform and picked up a sign.

They remained there through the day until night fell and the heard the sirens. The police had been called by none other than Charles Lee. All Alex could see was Charles pointing an accusatory finger at him before all hell went loose. The police began parading around, crushing everything in sight, including the very platform Alex had done his speech on. They had even stepped on people. The giants in attendance were being ushered away, though they desperately tried to fight it. Alex had been too distraught in all the chaos to notice the giant police boot looming over him. He looked up as a million thoughts flew through his mind before he barely registered himself being knocked off his feet. As he skidded onto the floor he saw the distressed face of his love before the police boot settled on him. That’s when everything stopped for Alex. He felt numb as he dropped to his knees next to his lover’s remains. The calamity around him were all muffled in his ears. He didn’t feel the tears streaming down his face or hear himself scream John’s name. He knew he was shaking. He didn’t know if it was the rage, or the pure pain and sadness, but he was practically vibrating with emotion. He barely registered someone pulling him away from the destruction. Once he was safe inside his apartment, his senses began to return. His vision cleared to see George’s concerned eyes, and he began to hear Thomas’ deep nasal voice calling his name and feel Eliza’s soft motherly arms wrapped around him, rubbing his shoulder comfortingly.

“John,” he managed. He felt himself begin to tear up at the mere mention of his love’s name. Eliza’s grip on him tightened on him.

“I am so sorry, Alexander,” George consoled, with a warm, comforting hand on his back.

“He sacrificed himself to save you from that police officer,” Thomas interjected. “He was a brave man.”

“I know,” Alex found his voice again. “I just wish that sentence wasn’t in past tense.” A beat of silence passed among the group. Alex felt a fire well up inside of him as he thought of his dear John being there on the pavement and underneath that deadly police boot instead of by his side right now. He thought of all of his friends (and his enemy) who had come to support him that day, who were still out there fending off the brutal attacks. And here he was, sitting around, sobbing, doing _nothing_. He sat up out of Eliza’s hold and wiped his eyes. It was time to stop wasting time on tears. There was so much he had to do before his time was up. He had to avenge John’s death. If the police thought that they had seen the most that Alex could fight, they were mistaken. There was so much more to come. Just you wait.

**Author's Note:**

> here's the rationale i wrote in case you want it
> 
> RATIONALE
> 
>  **Magical Realist Characteristics**  
>  The main characteristic in my story was the fantastical element of giants in the real world setting of New York City.
> 
>  **Narrative Techniques**  
>  The story is told in a limited third person point of view. It’s told in chronological order. I used mainly descriptive language with a bit of straight-forward and figurative language. The story is a bit fast-paced in the beginning or the “uphill” slope of the narrative arc and the end of the story is more drawn out with an open ending of a resolution. I left it open ending to show that this is happening in real life and it is not like some tv hour-long special that’s solved easily. It’s an issue that takes time and will take longer than five pages of one story to find the solution to.
> 
>  **Theme**  
>  The theme I explore in this story is the idea of not acknowledging the effect of white privilege on people of colour. The use of giants is to show how prominent the privilege of is and the size difference between the humans and giants shows how white privilege can make people of colour feel small and insignificant. George Eacker’s crime was used as a reference to the Brock Turner rape case, the protest outside the park represented the Black Lives Matter protests and the attacks of the police represented the brutal treatment of the Native Americans protesting the North Dakota pipeline.


End file.
